Review: iPad Air 2 is the best tablet ever (until next year)

It’s a little thinner. It’s a little lighter. It’s a whole lot faster. All of this makes the iPad Air 2 both more of the same and better than ever.

The form-factor didn’t change since last year’s redesign, but even though the iPad Air 2 is slimmer than its predecessor, Apple didn’t sacrifice battery life. The company claims up to 10 hours using Wi-Fi, and in three battery rundown tests I averaged 10 hours and 14 minutes of continuously watching a 720p video.

The camera is good enough that you might actually use it. Oh, and Touch ID gives it parity with the iPhone lineup, as well as enabling online-only Apple Pay—at least for now. (Don’t forget, iFixit found an NFC chip tucked inside. Apple wouldn’t put one in for nothing, right?)